Configured: (Book #1 in the Configured Trilogy)

by Jenetta Penner

  Kyra looks up at me and opens her mouth to speak just as loud footsteps sound from the hall. She leaps to her feet. "What is that? Were we followed?"

  I rush to check the security viewer and find a group of human Guardians with the Direction logo on their uniforms entering Lena's apartment across the hall. I close my eyes, somehow hoping to will them away.

  Kyra stands shaking next to me, staring at the screen. The last of the security team enters and they shut the door behind them.

  "I… I don't know why I came." She races back to her bag, plucking it from the middle of my floor. "What were you supposed to do for me? I shouldn't even be here, and now there are Guardians over there. I should go." She makes for the door.

  "Kyra," I plead. "Just wait until they're gone. We can figure something out."

  But truthfully, all I can think of is that I'm next. They could be in my apartment any second.

  She straightens, wipes her eyes, and reaches to smooth her golden hair. "I'm fine. Forget about me. It's best for both of us."

  Kyra checks the viewer and slips out my front door. I race to the opening, but she glances back and gives me a look warning me not to follow. Back inside my unit, exhaustion and fear consumes me. I rub my clammy face and park my body right next to the door, waiting for them to take me away, pulse racing.

  "What do I do, Ben?"

  He doesn't answer.

  After about thirty minutes, footsteps sound in the corridor again, and my heart, which had calmed, pounds violently against my chest again. I watch on the screen as the Guardians exit Lena's, but instead of coming here, they leave.

  I stare at Lena's door through the viewer, guilt pulsing over me.

  Why did I leave her?

  Finally, I sigh, then shuffle into the kitchen for food. The order display blurs in and out. Hopefully something edible comes out. The timer dings, and a bowl of steaming soup with a spoon inside sits on the tray. Feeling sick to my stomach, I force the soup down in nearly one gulp. The empty bowl clanks to the counter, and then I walk to the bedroom while pulling off my nearly cemented clothes, dropping them along the way.

  I grapple in my drawer for a nightshirt and fresh underwear, pull them on, and slump under the sheets on my bed, not even bothering to remove the EP.

  24

  Air sucks into my lungs as hands grab my shoulders and force me to my feet.

  They're here for me.

  A man stands only inches from my body, clutching my arms. I glance around to see how many there are. It's only the one human Guardian, but there's no Direction logo on his shirt.

  "Who are you?" I yell.

  "Be quiet," he shouts in my face.

  I'm not going down this easy. If they want me, they can kill me right here.

  I yank from his grasp and run for my bedroom door. But instead of the door, there's nothing. Nothing other than gray. In my shock, the captor hooks my arm and drags me down. Quick as a whip, I kick him in the shin. No reaction.

  "That's enough," a woman's voice says from the darkness.

  The man scowls and steps back, leaving me on the floor.

  "What's going on?" I pant, stuck somewhere between furious and terrified.

  The room lightens, and a woman with an ashen face steps forward. Adriana Ruiz. Her body is stiff, and her dark, close cropped hair is fashioned in tiny ringlets. Past the obvious anger clouding her face, something in her eyes still affords me a sense of safety.

  "This could have been Direction, Avlyn," she says coolly. Ruiz nods to the guard, and he exits through a door that hadn't existed before.

  "Where are we?" I ask.

  "Don't worry. You're safe at home in your bed. The EP allowed us to contact you."

  The door slides back again, and instead of the guard, Meyer walks through, dark wavy hair hanging just above his eyes, wearing black pants and a similar jacket as the first time I met him.

  My heart skips a beat. "You're okay!"

  Meyer gives me a tight smile, then looks to Ruiz.

  "Please," she says, "if you two would have a seat."

  I turn to find two simple chairs a few feet behind me, and walk the nearest one, lowering myself into it. Meyer sits in the one to my left, immediately folding his hands and leaning out toward his knees. I clutch my hands over my body, but stay sitting straight.

  Ruiz crosses her arms and slowly paces in front of us. "I want to know everything that happened at the detention center."

  Meyer recounts the whole event up to when Lena suggested I should come too.

  "And what made you think you would be able to handle such an endeavor?" Ruiz asks, stepping directly in front of me. "And you." She turns toward Meyer, eyebrows knit together. "You know better. We lost another good person, and you put everyone at risk. How are you to know there was not already something planned to get them out?"

  "You told me no… It wasn't possible," Meyer says.

  "And you think I would fill you in on every bit of information?" Ruiz spits.

  Meyer sighs, not answering for a beat. "I have no excuse."

  "I'm the one who got them in," I mumble, attempting to take some of the heat from Meyer.

  Ruiz scoffs. "Avlyn, your hacking skills are good. We saw it in your tests, and it's one of the reasons we recruited you, but no one's that good. Stolen security codes got you in."

  "Those were old. They didn't work," Meyer whispers.

  "But you wouldn't have known that before you got to the detention center. Why'd you even take her? The safest plan would have been to leave Avlyn in One until morning. You knew that. So what is it you aren't telling me?"

  Meyer throws me a glance, and I nod.

  "She hacked Affinity," he tells her. "Lena thought Avlyn was our best chance. And I didn't stop it."

  Ruiz's eyes whip toward mine. "There is no record of a successful intruder recently. We have a few of the best Level Three citizens working to keep the data secure."

  "Well," I whisper, "I did. When Meyer went off the grid, I was worried. So, I hacked in to find his location. He'd deactivated himself in the system, but I found it and loaded it to my EP."

  Ruiz gives me a skeptical look. "But that still doesn't explain why you escaped detection."

  I swallow the lump forming in my throat. "Because… I didn't hack it… normally."

  "Normally?"

  "Avlyn can immerse with tech," Meyer says. "She saved Sanda by rebooting her nano system."

  "What's that supposed to mean?" Ruiz asks, frustrated.

  "I really don't understand how it's happening." My voice quivers. "My skills with systems have always been good, better than I've let on, but that's not what this is."

  "Then maybe you can tell me," Ruiz says.

  "What Meyer called it, immersing, that's a good way to describe it. To be honest, it's a lot like being in VR, except I can actually manipulate the program intuitively. First, I tracked Meyer, then I disarmed the security at the detention center, then I hacked into Sanda's nanos… just by touching her."

  "I still don't understand," she says.

  "Me either," I admit, "but when I… immerse, it's as real as this seems." I gesture around us. "And for some reason, the programs respond to me."

  "Show me."

  By now it's not a demand, more of a curiosity. I look toward Meyer, and despite his obvious interest in what I'm saying, despair from the loss still fills his soulful, dark eyes.

  "I'll try." I close my lids and envision a better place than this, not that it takes much creativity. The field Meyer showed me comes to mind, but I settle on something more familiar. My apartment.

  When I open my eyes, the three of us are relocated to my living room, bright rays of sun shining onto the wall behind, the view out the window as lovely as it ever was. But doing it makes me weak in the knees, and I grab Meyer's elbow to stay standing.

  "Are you okay?" he mouths.

  I nod that I am. The feeling passes quickly.

  "Fascinating," Ruiz murmurs. "However you're doin
g this… the ability is something Affinity has not encountered. And Direction hasn't either."

  She turns away for a moment to think, seeming to forget all the trouble we're in. After a moment, she twists back toward us.

  "Once we understand this situation better, your current mission may be modified, Avlyn. But in the meantime, we still require your continued pursuit of a pairing with Mr. Barton."

  Ruiz blinks twice and vanishes from the sim, leaving Meyer and I alone in the fake version of my living room, my hand still on his arm.

  "Sanda made it," he says, not pulling from me. "The medics got to her in time. Another few hours, and I'm not sure… Anyway, thank you for what you did… however you did it." Meyer lowers his eyes and rubs at his forehead. When he looks back toward me, his jaw is clenched.

  I know what he's feeling. Guilt. At least it's what I'm feeling. How did we get so far and make it out without everyone? Why are we alive while they wait for death, or worse?

  "What can we do?" I ask.

  Meyer flops on the couch, covering his eyes. "Nothing. Lena and I should have never taken the risk we did. Then we dragged you into it."

  I softly sit next to him. "The decision for me to come wasn't yours."

  Meyer looks over to me, his amazing, dark, nearly black irises filled with sadness. "But if it weren't for my behavior, neither of you would have been there."

  In the end, I don't know what to say to this. He's probably right.

  Hesitating, I touch my hand to his back. Through his jacket, the outline of defined muscles sends a tingle through my fingers. I've never touched a boy in quite this way. I've touched Meyer back before, but only because he had to carry me to ground when I couldn't rappel the building in Level One. This is different. Way different.

  I push the feelings away, but not my hand, which I leave in place as Meyer breathes deeply.

  After a long silence, Meyer sighs. "Who's Mr. Barton?"

  Taken aback, I pull my hand onto my lap. Nervousness from the question rolls around in my stomach. "Aron? He's one of my spouse pairing candidates."

  "And he has something to do with Affinity?"

  "Apparently they have an interest in him."

  Meyer's jaw tightens. "Do you?"

  "Aron is my assignment, just like I'm yours." The answer is only a half-truth because I do like Aron. He's safe, and the path I've always been supposed to take. I sigh and lean back into the couch, shivering. "Can you stay? I don't want to be alone."

  The tension in Meyer's body falls away as he nods. "You know you are alone, since this isn't real." He leans forward to remove his jacket and gently places it around my shoulders. I pull my arms through and stretch the fabric around myself taking in Meyer's clean scent.

  "True." I lean my head onto his shoulder, taking in a long draw of air. "But it's real enough."

  Then I drift.

  All too soon, I find myself awake and alone in my bed. Meyer's gone, as if I was never with him.

  * * *

  Spray hits the surface of the shower enclosure, steam rising out the top. After a few seconds, I strip off my nightclothes and slip inside. The hot water pricks my skin. A rush of yesterday's events pours off me as the water flows over my body.

  We didn't get Jayson out, and now they have Lena… and Kyra?

  I have no idea what to do for Kyra. Helpless, I end up on the floor, my tears mingling with the water. Eventually, I'm able to wave off the spray and stand to turn on the body dryer. When done, I stumble back to my room, grab some clothes, and snap my device to my wrist, but not before checking to see if either Kyra or Meyer have messaged.

  Nothing.

  I bring up a replay of last night's Direction newscast on the viewer to see if they mention Affinity at all. Instead, a Direction Initiative Message shows with a scroll of words across the bottom, alerting a broadcast will start in three minutes. I don't even bother to see on which subject today. Probably how we should act like mindless SI and know our function.

  While it plays, I walk to the kitchen and order a muffin. Any food sounds terrible, but starving myself will do nobody any good.

  On the walk back, the Initiative Message has ended, and Brian Marshall's voice echoes through the unit. As I enter, munching on my breakfast, the scene shifts, and a face that is not Brian's greets me on the screen.

  Lena Tran

  The muffin drops to the floor, and I stumble toward the screen. Displayed under her face are words that make my blood run cold.

  Lena Tran sentenced to death for treason and involvement with the Affinity terrorist group.

  It's not a live feed, only her identification image. I stagger closer to the viewer and tap her face, but nothing more than the words on the screen appear. Treason. Lena is a traitor.

  No… No, it can't be this soon.

  The reality of it all hits me again. Her face is clean, raven hair combed. No bruises mar her even skin, but it can't be how she looks by now. Sanda and Jayson were in appalling shape.

  The screen switches to Jayson's image, and under his are similar words to Lena's.

  The image disappears, and Brian's face returns. "The execution is scheduled for a mandatory live viewing Friday at seven p.m.," he says.

  A live execution? Direction has never executed people on a broadcast.

  I can't listen to anymore, and wave off the screen. Numbness drags through my shoulders.

  From my wrist, my device vibrates with a message alert in my Affinity account. Just an auto reminder to contact Aron. I rub my hands over my face and log into my spouse pairing account. Another potential has requested a meeting, and I hide it and the other three options. Aron's profile now requests the additional information concerning me. My likes, my dislikes, the information he asked me for… before everything happened.

  Aron's likeable. He seems kind, and I can just make out the spot where the dimple on his cheek sits. His ice blue sparkle, even on the standard ID image, but he knows nothing of me. Nothing of the turmoil my life and this world is in. Frustrated, I shake my head.

  I steel myself. I have a duty to Affinity. Aron is my assignment.

  With a sigh, I enter the information he requested and, to be polite, remind him to do the same.

  * * *

  For some reason, Daniel is out my entire shift. It's strange, but I don't want to question or think about it. I engross myself in security code, but my mind isn't really in it. My thoughts are consumed with Lena and Kyra. At the end of the day, I hurry downstairs and onto the street, jogging the blocks toward the Level Two Representatives building.

  When I reach the front, I message Kyra.

  Flexx 682AB1-ALARK: I'm out front.

  Nothing comes back, so I try again, trying to conceal my worry from the other workers exiting the front.

  Flexx 682AB1-ALARK: I need to speak with you.

  The device buzzes against my wrist, causing my heart to skip a beat.

  Flexx 35D52G-KLEWIS: Full-fledged citizens are advised to break contact with any childhood relations during the transition to complete configuration.

  Heartbroken, my mouth falls open. Kyra copied and pasted the passage from the citizen welcome letter. My chest stings as I gasp for breath. My instinct knows she's still stuck inside that building, terrified. She could be protecting me, not wanting me to be involved.

  Unable to force her without making the situation worse, I wipe away the message and trudge to my building. At my floor, a pang sweeps through me again. I focus on the ground to avoid Lena's door, finally retreating to the mock safety of my unit.

  25

  A golden micro drone zips in and past me when I open the door to head to work.

  What in the world?

  Butterflies skitter in my stomach as the thing buzzes twice around my head until I swat it away. It hovers over and settles on my dining room table. I wave the door shut and follow the piece of tech.

  The tiny drone could fit in the palm of my hand perfectly. I cautiously approach and step back as a ti
ny circle dilates on top of the device. From it, a hologram of a face appears. Aron's face.

  He clears his throat. "Um, just field testing my new project, and… um…"

  My lips curl into a small smile. "Hi, Aron."

  He doesn't respond. It's a recording only.

  Aron's blue eyes sparkle, even on the hologram. And that dimple… well, I don't know how I didn't notice it the first time I saw his image on my account.

  Anyway, its appearance when he flashes a silly grin reminds me of the wink he gave me before I got myself trapped in Level One.

  I shake off the feeling. This is no time to be worrying about boys.

  "Well, I read the information you sent, and… What I was wondering…"

  Something about his nervous demeanor makes me clench my jaw.

  "I was wondering if you would be interested in making a spouse pairing contract?" His words spill out quickly. "No need to decide now, but I wanted to ask."

  My heart skips a beat.

  "The pairing is good for a few reasons," he continues. "Firstly, our career configurations are to protect Elore. You at GenTech, and me involved in drone production. Secondly, Direction rated us a 98.5% pairing for producing Level Two or higher children."

  He clears his throat and leans in a bit.

  "And… not that this is terribly important, but I think we could be… content."

  Aron gives another nervous smile before the hologram blips out and the button snaps back into the drone. The little orb takes a whirl around my apartment and ends at the door, hovering as if it's waiting to be let out. I activate the door and watch as it disappears down the hall.

  Would I settle for content?Is that all Aron and I would be?

  However, just knowing I've succeeded on this part of my mission sends a thrill through me. I send off a quick message in my Affinity account to let them know I've gained Aron's trust and he's asked for a pairing. Almost immediately, my device vibrates with a message from Affinity.

  There's only two words.